Surgical instrument



Dec. 19, 1933. A w. GARDNER 1,940,122

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT Filed' Aug, 13, 1951 INVENTDR .Uil/MM QTTEHNEYE.'

Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to a surgical instrument to assist in replacing andmaintaining in normal position a prolapsed uterus.

In cases of a prolapsed uterus it has been customary for physicians toprescribe exercises by which air may be trapped in the vagina and bythese exercises the air pressure developed aids in returning theprolapsed uterus to its normal position.

l0 An object of my invention is an instrument which may be used eitherin conjunction with such exercises or function without the exercises todevelop air pressure in the vagina to return a prolapsed uterus to itsnormal position. My 16 invention comprehends a small air pump devicewhich may have a discharge end to insert in the vagina to develop andexert an air pressure therein. The discharge for the air pump ispreferably a tube and with this tube I usually employ an 2Q airretaining or closure means to engage the outer end of the Vagina. Thisair retaining or closure means is for the purpose of retaining thepumped air in the vagina or to restrict the escape of such air, so as tobuild up air pressure in the 2h vagina. This compressed air acts on theportion of the uterus at the upper end of the vagina to return suchprolapsed uterus to its normal position.

My invention may be constructed in a variety of Ways, for instance I mayemploy a resilient rubber bulb as the air pump and this is provided witha tubular air discharge stem, which stem may extend through a ball or aproperly shaped plate, the end of the stem Aextending slightly beyondthe ball or plate. The ball or plate is pressed against the lower end ofthe vagina and operates to restrict the escape or prevent the escape ofthe compressed air from the vagina: it also limits the air tube frombeing inserted to too great a distance in the vagina.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. lis a side elevation of the form of my invention using a ballon the airdischarge tube.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the tube and ball in longitudinalsection, such ball being preferably formed of soft rubber.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a modifled ball, this beinghollow.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5 in the direction ofthe arrow, of a modiiied construction, showing a moulded plate attachedto the end of the air discharge tube.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 in the direction of thearrow.

(Cl. 12S-231) In Figsl and 2 the air pump l1 consists oi a rubber bulb12 having an intake check valve 13 of the usual construction. Adischarge tube r14 is connected to the bulb and on the tube is anabutment shoulder 15. A rubber ball 16 having a diametrical perforation17 fits on the portion 18 of the tube 14 beyond the shoulder 15, wherebythe nozzle end 19 of the tube projects a short distance beyond thesurface of the ball.

In Fig. 3 the ball 20 is hollow and has two dia- Il metrically oppositeperforations 21 and 22', whichA form a tight fit on the tube. With thisdesign the ball may be more readily compressed and distorted to ntagainst lower end of the vagina, than the design having the solid ball.In both 'm these modifications the shoulder 15 prevents the ball slidingalong the tube and permits the balls making a type of air seal at theopen end of the vagina. As the balls cannot slide on the air tube thenozzle end 19 can only enter the vagina to a limited extent. Y

In the construction of Figs. 4 and 5 the air tube 22 has a moulded plate23 attached thereto adjacent the discharge nozzle 24. This plate issomewhat oval in contour and has its peripheral edge 25 spaced from thenozzle towards the pump; and the plate may be suitably curved,considered longitudinally of the tube, and also circumferentially of theplate. The shape of the plate is such that when pressed against thelower end of the vagina it may give a sufficiently tight air seal, toallow building up of a pressure of compressed air in the vagina when theair pump is operated. This plate may be rigid or slightly flexible ifdesired. The plate is shown as nonslidably attached to the tube, but itis obvious that it may have a somewhat tight slipping t on the tube topermit inserting the Vnozzle of the tube to a greater distance in thevagina. However the plate may be attached to the tube with the nozzleprojecting a suitable distance beyond the plate.

In the use of my invention the ball or plate, when pressed against thelower end of the vagina forms an air seal or closure means to prevent or100 restrict the escape of air pumped by the air pump into the vagina.An air pressure is therefor developed in the vagina, which acts to presson the end of the uterus and return a prolapsed uterus to its normalposition. But little air pressure is 195 required for this purpose.

Another feature of my invention is that the instrument may be readilycleansed and sterilized, as with the ball type the parts may bedisassembled for this purpose and with the plate type u() all parts ofthe instrument may be easily washed.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A surgical instrument having a stiff tube with an air nozzle for thedischarge of air, an occlusion means of substantially constant sizesecured to the tube and adapted to be pressed by the stii tube againstthe part of the body adjacent the lower end of the vagina, saidocclusion means forming an air seal from restricting the escape of airfrom the vagina and means to inject air through the tube and nozzle intothe vagina, the occlusion means being yieldingly secured on the tube todistort slightly when under pressure.

2. A surgical instrument having a stiff tube with an air nozzle for thedischarge of air, an occlusion means of substantially constant sizesecured to the tube and adapted to be pressed by the tube against thepart of the body adjacent the lower end of the vagina, said occlusionmeans forming an air seal for restricting the escape of air from thevagina and means to inject air through the tube and nozzle into thevagina, the occlusion means having a connection to the tube to restrictthe insertion of the nozzle in the vagina.

3. A surgical instrument having a stiff tube with a nozzle for dischargeof air, an occlusion ball of normally constant size mounted on the tubeand adapted to be pressed by the stii tube against the body adjacent tolower enrl of the Vaginaand to thereby form an air seal or restrict theescape of air from the vagina and a pump connected to the tube to injectair into the vagina, said nozzle being contiguous to the ball.

a. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 3 the ball being hollow andthe side facing the nozzle being slidable on the tube to allow slightdistortion of the ball.

ADRYL WADE GARDNER.

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